They could also work something on like penalizing teams 2 points in the standings for every 5 games of suspensions accumulated. Combined with heavy suspensions on blatant hits would probably get most of the idiots out of the league pretty quick. Also makes the punishment actually hurt the offending team, always frustrating seeing a 4th line goon injure another teams star. Sure they end up sitting out, but the effect to their team is negligible.

ontariolightning:Shouldn't CBS be more concerned about Football? Half the posters in this thread aren't even actual fans of hockey. If you aren't a serious fan of hockey you can just shut up and concentrate on a sport you do care about. Hockey doesn't need more Americans trying to change a game they don't watch. I agree with axing the instigator rule FWIW.

Just for that, I AM watching Hockey now and I WILL change ALL YOUR RULES!!! Punk!!

Not so much demonizing the thrill, simply calling out PhilK as the spineless little biatch he is. Taking two handed swings against an opponent when at least two of your teammates have already engaged him is the act of a complete pussy. And the spear at the end of it was the icing on the shiatcake. I didn't think it was possible for me to hate a Leafs player more than I hated Darcy "Mother" Tucker, but there you go.

Ontariolightning; Goon can still go after the 3rd liner that hit your star player cleanly, but he gets the suspension. Lets get back to "taking the number" of the guy that hit you and getting him with a hit later. In my books any player, whether a star or a journeyman that can't take a clean hit shouldn't be on the ice.

ontariolightning:You can't even tell if he hit Scott in the video. And Scott doesn't even wince or go down theres so much padding down there. But LOL at your pathetic attempts at demonizing the thrill.

Defending the stick-as-broadsword move and accusing me of being pathetic is impressively ironic. I always thought you were just a moron, but now I'm forced to consider that you're actually trying..

costermonger:Defending the stick-as-broadsword move and accusing me of being pathetic is impressively ironic. I always thought you were just a moron, but now I'm forced to consider that you're actually trying..

A lot of people here are making this out to be a way to remove hitting from the sport. Stupid. That's not the point, nor the goal. Punish teams for senseless, dirty hits and the people that perpetuate those hits get out of the league as no one will sign them. There is nothing wrong with a clean hit.

Nana's Vibrator:This, of course, lives on the assumption that these guys all have their heads with them at all times. Half the penalties in the league seem to be a result of not having your head on straight.

If you can't keep your shiat together, perhaps you shouldn't be paid hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to play a game. You lose your head in the street and you go to jail.

Flags for footballTees for baseballNo touching in HockeyNASCAR, keep it under 30 mphBasketball, you just need to concentrate on paying your child support.

Don't like the sport? Have a problem with the rules? Don't watch it. Don't feel the need to enlighten others with your fresh perspective on something you've never been involved in yet somehow have all the answers to.

Don't like the sport? Have a problem with the rules? Don't watch it. Don't feel the need to enlighten others with your fresh perspective on something you've never been involved in yet somehow have all the answers to.

ontariolightning:Warlordtrooper: It would also help if there was any sort of consistency at all. Kaleta gets 10 games for a questionable hit meanwhile Kessel gets 3 preasons games (a vacation really) for using his stick as a farking weapon. (The same thing that another player got 25+ games for a few years ago)

So Crosby and Giroux should get 10 + games for spearing each other a few seasons a go? And Jackman last night? And Corey Perry for all of his spears? Ovechkins even speared a guy. Lets suspend the whole league!

Or perhaps guys like Kaleta should be given the same suspensions you would give Crosby for the same infractions.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that Maxim Lapierre is a huge twat. He's not even a very good agitator in the sense of specifically drawing penalties from opposing scorers; he literally just skates around looking to annoy whomever he can with little purpose or function.

Such a dumb non-solution. Do you really think players are afraid of goons? Of players that do nothing but fight? So afraid that they will change their nightly game in order avoid them because of a slight rule change?

I don't. These players hit and get hit by these players on a nightly basis. They block shots that seriously injure players on a nightly basis. They take bad hit all the time. The savior of skilled players is a fist? Seriously?

This is arguing for the dumbing down of the game. Arguing that every skilled line has a knuckledragger willing to pound someone for looking at the star player wrong. It's dumb, it's stupid, and it doesn't remotely fix the problem. You think Matt Cooke or Patrick Kaleta is going to change their ways because they might get fed a knuckle sandwich? Such a stupid solution.

I say this as a fan of the Boston Bruins, a team that would benefit tremendously from such a 'fix', Yeah sure, change the rules so Lucic can pound anyone he wants. There won't be any columns complaining about him gooning it up after giving him absolutely free reign will there?

Hastor:There won't be any columns complaining about him gooning it up after giving him absolutely free reign will there?

To be fair, somebody out there is going to complain about EVERYTHING that can possibly happen.

Hell, a comet could flatten the Flyers entire team and organizational structure tomorrow, and somebody would be on the internet saying that Bettman made it happen to let the Flyers get out from under Prongers contract.

The NHL could easily create a dirty hits committee and have them review and levy fines/suspensions for dirty hits ON THE TEAM, not the player and make it count toward salary cap ($ to be put toward the players' retirement/medical fund). That would sure as hell incentivize teams to keep their players clean, and not bring up a dirty goon from the minors. It would even make them think twice about keeping loose-cannon hot-heads who might be good skill players but might cost you $200k extra over 2 seasons.